Anthony Foster, Star Writer
Monte-Carlo:

Jamaica's World sprint double record holder Usain Bolt will have two rounds less to run at the 2011 World Championships in Seoul, Korea.

Bolt, who ran nine races in Berlin, four each in the 100m and 200m, along with the final of the 4x100m relay, will be the biggest beneficiary from yesterday's announcement by the IAAF that only three rounds per event will be accommodated at future World Championships.

"There will be a maximum of three rounds for all events," Nick Davies, the IAAF communications director, said coming out of the body's council meeting. In Berlin, male athletes ran four rounds in the 200m, while the women did three.

qualifying mark

However, in the 100m, there will be a slight change, as the first round will now accommodate unqualified athletes, meaning countries sending athletes which do not meet the qualifying mark.

In the field, the rest period for vertical jumps (high jump and pole vault) between qualifying and finals has been cut from two days to one, whereas the horizontal jumpers (long jump and triple jump), who normally have two rest days, will no longer have this benefit.

Javelin and hammer throwers will have one rest day between qualifying and the final round.

The IAAF also announced eight stadium days, cutting it from nine for future World Championships.

In the past, the World Championships has had nine stadium days, but according to Davies, this has been cut to eight days. The ninth day will be outside the stadium.

"Council approved the idea that it will only be eight days of stadium athletics. One of the nine days will be for road events," he said after the meeting at the Fairmont Hotel yesterday.

The idea, according to Davies, is to have more compact sessions in the stadium. He said, "You will have concentrated athletics.

"So it will be no more than two and a half to three hours a session," he explained while saying "day eight and day nine will only be one session."

The IAAF is moving to have a minimum of six finals during every session, or five finals and a significant semi-final, with the exception of Day One, or the day for the road event.